[QUOTE=Anne FS;8610772]
but there are a lot of Mrs. Pumphrey’s in the world.[/QUOTE]
I love that you made this reference and I also love that I get it. <smile>
It always amazes me the things we have to have a law for.
I guess I should be thankful that any vet I have ever used has been honest about this, mentioning that there is no one at the facility over night, etc.
My vet has an app on his phone that allows him to monitor patients from home. He probably doesn’t do this all the time but I know he does it when he has patients that need monitoring.
The clinic I’ve taken the cats to the last few times, makes you sign something stating you know that if you do not pick your animal up by the required time that there is no supervision.
[QUOTE=wireweiners;8610883]
My vet has an app on his phone that allows him to monitor patients from home. He probably doesn’t do this all the time but I know he does it when he has patients that need monitoring.[/QUOTE]
I think that’s nice from a visual check in stand point–much like our wireless vid i the barn or trailer and such. But from a medical perspective, pretty worthless. Vitals can’t really register visually . And if a pet needs care, like an IV flush or another pain med or whatever, someone has to physically be there to do it.
I do think it’s super cool. I just don’t think it’s enough to constitute “monitoring” of patients.
I think a lot of people are overestimating the average small animal pet owner’s veterinary knowledge.
There are a lot of comments about monitoring IV drips at home like that is no big deal. For a lot of small animal owners, who do not have large animal experience (where there is more hands-on care) or who have not had a chronically sick pet, that is a big, scary deal that they are not ready, willing, or able to cope with.
They wouldn’t know what their pet’s vitals should be, much less what they actually are, much less how to take them.
Most vets I’ve known, if they know an owner is capable of doing these sorts of things, are more than happy to send them home with instructions.
Otherwise, a lot of pets will stay at the vet’s for monitoring who don’t actually need any special overnight care, but they do need routine work during the day that the owners can’t/don’t want to give.
If it’s a critical case that really does need 24/7 monitoring, that’s different, and that needs to handle. But not all pets that are held for monitoring actually need that level of care. They just need more daily care than the owner will be able to give them.
My cat would have died had I not, being the neurotic mom, asked whether there was overnight supervision. I just assumed there would be, but asked because I worry about everything.
Cat had kidney problems, blockage and had a catheter inserted and was on an IV drip. Vet said cat would be fine alone overnight. And that the only other option was to take him to an emergency clinic for the night, but that it was totally unnecessary and quite expensive. The clinic was only 20 minutes away. I took the cat there.
Turns out the cat has cardiomyopathy and the overnight IV drip would have killed him. His heart would not have been able to process / pump all the liquid. The vet did xray but didn’t think it was serious. The emergency clinic vets strongly disagreed.
Lots of money and meds and I’ve still got him almost 10 years later.
It still makes me sick to think what would have happened if I hadn’t asked about night supervision. I just assumed there was night supervision.
[QUOTE=Halt Near X;8611181]
I think a lot of people are overestimating the average small animal pet owner’s veterinary knowledge.
There are a lot of comments about monitoring IV drips at home like that is no big deal. [/QUOTE]
?? There is only one comment from one person who said that.
Most people said owners don’t follow even the most rudimentary instructions.
